Nickname:The name was selected in a name the team contest. The bottlenose dolphin, an intelligent
creature with an irresistible built-in grin, has inspired wonder for centuries.
"The dolphin is one of the fastest and smartest creatures of the sea,"
Joe Robbie said in announcing the name on October 8, 1965. "Dolphins can attack
and kill a shark or a whale. Sailors say bad luck will come to anyone who harms
one of them."

1966: With the upstart AFL starting to catch on AFL owners and Commissioner Joe Foss decided
it was time for expansion. Seeing the opportunity to make foothold on touched
ground Miami is chosen to begin play in 1966, 20 years after an AAFC team failed. The team which is owned by Joe Robbie and Television Star Danny Thomas chooses
the name Dolphins in a name the team contest. On September 2nd in front of
crowd of 26,776 at the Orange Bowl the Dolphins get off to a fast start in their
first regular season game when Joe Auer returns the opening kickoff 95 yards
for a Touchdown;. However, the Dolphins would lose the game 23-14 to the Oakland
Raiders. The Dolphins would not win their 1st game until October 16th against
the Denver Broncos the highlight of the 24-7 victory was 24-7 QB George Wilson,
Jr's screen pass to Billy Joe, which turned into a 67-yard TD. The Dolphins
would not enjoy much success that first year finishing with a woeful 3-11 record.1967: In the first common draft the Dolphins select Purdue Quarterback Bob Griese with
the 4th overall pick. Griese would see action almost right away when Quarterback
John Stofa breaks his ankle in the September 17th season opener against the Broncos.
Griese would come on and lead the Phins to a 35-21 victory. However, winning
still eluded the new franchise which finished 4-10.

1969: The Dolphins make a splash by acquiring two future Hall of Famers in two separate
deals. First they acquire LB Nick Buoniconti from the Boston Patriots, and a few
months alter they acquire Guard Larry Little from the San Diego Chargers. Despite
the moves the Dolphins experience injury and frustration as Bob Griese misses
part of the season due to a knee injury. The Dolphins would go on to finish
3-10-1, which would lead to the firing of Coach George Wilson.1970: To help bring legitimacy to the Dolphins the team gives up its 1st Round Draft pick
to hire Don Shula as their new Head Coach. Shula had experienced a great deal
of success in Baltimore leading the Colts to Super Bowl III, but a loss to the
Jets made life uncomfortable for Shula, who hoped for a new start in Miami, ironically
the same city where he experienced his biggest defeat. In addition to
Shula the Dolphins add future Hall of Famer to a growing talented pool of players.
Shula seems to be just what the Phins needed as he leads them to a 10-4 record,
and earns Miami it's first ever birth in playoffs. The Dolphins would go
on to lose their 1st playoff game 21-14 against the Raiders in Oakland.
1971: The Dolphins make another big acquisition in LB Bob Matheson who becomes the key
to their 53 defense. With a ever improving gang of defense none of which are household
names which earns them the nickname "No-Name Defense" the Dolphins start
to establish themselves as the class of the AFC. The offense also continues to
impress, as Bob Griese dose not have to work much with a talented trio of runners
led by Larry Csonka who becomes the Dolphins first 1,000-yard rusher. Joining
Csonka was Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris, as the Dolphins would win their 1st
Division title with a 10-3-1 record. After winning the AFC East the Dolphins
find themselves in a Christmas Day Classic games against the Chiefs in Kansas
City. All day the Dolphins could not stop the Chiefs star runner Ed
Podolak. However the Dolphins would claw back every time the Chiefs grabbed the
lead. The game would go on into Overtime tied at 24. In OT both teams missed
big opportunities to end the game, as it carried on into a second OT. The Dolphins
would finally win the game 27-24 on Garo Yepremian's 37-yard Field Goal. The
game, which lasted 82 minutes and 40 seconds, is still the longest in NFL history.
One week after the marathon in Kansas City the Dolphins hosted the Colts
in the AFC Championship game. The Dolphins would win the game impressively 21-0
in front of 78, 629 at the Orange Bowl the clinching Touchdown came when Safety
Dick Anderson returned an interception 62-yards.
Super Bowl VI: The Dolphins faced the Dallas Cowboys at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. The Cowboys
who have been knocking of the door of greatness for six years were determined
not to let another Super Bowl get away from them. The Dolphins were simply over
matched by the more experienced team from Dallas, which rushed for 252 yards
in a 24-3 route of the Dolphins.1972: Determined to complete their journey the Dolphins set out to finish the journey that
ended in a Super Sunday disappointment the year before. The Dolphins started
the 1972 season in Kansas City, and jumped out to 20-0 lead, and held on to win
20-10 in the 1st ever game at Arrowhead Stadium. In the home opener the Dolphins
once again jumped out to a big lead early and cruised to a 34-13 win over
the Houston Oilers. Week 3 saw an early test as the Dolphins were trailing 14-6
in the 4th quarter at Minnesota. However, the Dolphins would score 10 unanswered
points to improve to 3-0. The Dolphins would improve to 4-0 a week later
with a 27-17 win over the Jets in Shea Stadium. In Week 5 the Dolphins returned
home, and saw their road to the Super Bowl hit a road bump when Bob Griese
injured broke his leg against the Chargers. However, prior to the season the Dolphins
picked QB Earl Morrall off waivers, and Morrill filled in perfectly helping
the Dolphins improve to 5-0 with a 24-10 win. Morrill would have to keep it
if the Dolphins were to go back to the Super Bowl since Griese would miss the
rest of the regular season. One week later against Buffalo the Dolphins rallied
again in the 4th quarter to improve to 6-0 with a 24-23 win. The Dolphins would
get to 7-0 easily with a 23-0 white wash of the Colts in Baltimore. Week 8 saw
a rematch with the Bills in Buffalo and the Dolphins found it much easier pulling
away late to win 30-16. In Week 9 the Dolphins made a statement slaughtering
the New England Patriots at the Orange Bowl 52-0. At 9-0 the Dolphins were undefeated
with aback up QB, but most still thought a loss was just a matter of
time. Week 10 saw another test as the Dolphins battled the Jets back and forth
at the Orange Bowl before pulling out a 28-24 win. The Dolphins would improve
to 11-0 with another home win against the Cardinals 31-10. The Dolphins moved
into December still undefeated after another shellacking of the Patriots 37-21
in Foxboro. In Week 13 at Yankee Stadium the Dolphins pulled away from the
Giants with two Field Goals in the 4th Quarter from Garo Yepremian to win 23-13.
With 13 games down the Dolphins had just one more game to win to finish the regular
season undefeated. True to form the Dolphins won the game16-0 over the Colts
at the Orange Bowl. Though the Dolphins finished 14-0 it would all be forgotten
if the Phins lost in the playoffs.1972: Undefeated the Dolphins moved into the playoffs and faced the Cleveland Browns in
the Divisional Playoffs. The Dolphins would jump out to a quick 10-0 lead, but
the Browns defense would clamp down and hold the Phins off the scoreboard until
the 4th quarter. After a Yepremian Field Goal made it 13-7 the Dolphins were
stunned as the Browns went up the field to take a 14-13 lead in the 4th quarter.
However, with time winding down Jim Kiick would score a TD from eight yards out
to give the Dolphins a 21-14 win. With the win the Dolphins moved on to the
AFC Championship game. However, in 1972 home field was not decided by best record,
and the Dolphins had to travel to hostile territory at Pittsburgh's 3-Rivers
Stadium. The Dolphins appeared out of sync early as the Steelers recovered
a fumble in the endzone to take an early 7-0 lead. The Dolphins would rally
to tie it at halftime, but after the Steelers retook the lead10-7 Don Shula felt
it was time for a change and sent Bob Griese back in as QB to replace Earl Morrall.
However, the Dolphins were still stalled and were forced to punt. However,
Shula decided it was time for some trickery and Punter Larry Sieple ran the
ball 17 yards to get a 1st down, and the Dolphins never looked back. Too Jim Kiick
TDs gave the Dolphins the lead which the held on to 21-17 to become the first
AFC team to make it to 2 consecutive Super Bowls.
Super Bowl VII: The Undefeated Dolphins moved on to Super Bowl VII, and were still not believed by
the experts who listed them as 1 and half point underdogs to the Washington Redskins.
However, the No Name Defense clamped down on the Skins all game holding
them to 87 yards passing, and 228 yards total offense. Jake Scott who intercepted
2 passes was named Super Bowl MVP as the Dolphins jumped out to a 14-0
lead which they held late in the 4th quarter as Garo Yepremian set up for a
FG. Had Yepremian connected the score would have been 17-0 and the same record
as the undefeated the Dolphins it was too perfect to be true. As it stands it was
as Yepremian's kicked was blocked, and after a poorly advised pass from Yepremian
pass was intercepted and returned for TD by Mike Bass the lead was down to
14-7, and Yepremian was forced to sweat out the final minutes on the sidelines.
However, the Dolphins defense was just too good to be scored upon and time ticked
away, and the journey was complete the Dolphins were the NFL's first team
to finish the season and playoffs undefeated at 17-0.
1973: Coming off the undefeated season many feel the Dolphins are even better in 1973 as
Dolphins finish the season 12-2. The quest for a second undefeated season ended
early as the Dolphins lost in Week 2 to the Raiders in Berkley, CA. Among
the highlights of the season is the September 30th game in which RB Mercury
Morris sets single-game rushing record of 197 yards on 15 carries with three TDs
(24, 70, 35) in 44-23 win over New England at Orange Bowl. Another high point
came on November 11th when the Phins shut out the Colts for the 4th time in a
row 44-0 as CB Tim Foley returned two blocked Punts for TDs. The Dolphins would
close out the regular season with 34-7 victory over the Detroit Lions, which
was highlighted by four Touchdowns receptions by Paul Warfield. The win improved
the Phins to 26-2 over the two year stretch which is the best record over a two
year stretch in NFL history. The Dolphins faced the upstart Cincinnati
Bengals in the Divisional Playoffs. The Dolphins would have no problem winning
this one pulling away early to cruise to a 34-16 victory, to advance to the AFC
Championship Game. In the AFC title game the Dolphins faced the same Raiders
who ended their winning streak. However, this game would be at the Orange
Bowl and the Dolphins got revenge 27-10 behind 266 yards rushing. The win earned
catapulted the Dolphins to their third consecutive Super Bowl, becoming the
first team ever to do so.Super Bowl VIII: In Houston's Rice Stadium against the Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl VIII turns into
the Larry Csonka show. Csonka who was named MVP rushes for 145 yards on 33 carries,
and scores two Touchdowns, as the Dolphins win their second straight Super
Bowl with a 24-7 romp over the Viking, as the Dolphins become just the second
team ever to win two straight Super Bowls. . So overwhelming was the Dolphins
run game and ball control offense that QB Bob Griese only needed to make seven
passes completing six for 73 yards, as the Dolphins rushed for 196 yards as a
team. In their 3 playoff wins the Dolphins outscore their opponents 85-33.

1974: NFL-Player relations serve as a major obstacle for the Dolphins chances for a third
straight Lombardi Trophy as the start of the pre-season is held up due to a
player's strike. Making matters worse is the start of the World Football League,
which raids several Dolphins stars including Larry Csonka. However, the Dolphins
would still have Csonka for the 1974 season, which started on time after players
began to cross the picket line in August. The Dolphins would win the AFC
eastern Division again with an 11-3 record, as the Dolphins win their NFL record
31st straight home game in the regular season's final game. Knowing this would
be the last hurrah; because of the loss of key players to the WFL the Dolphins
went to Oakland for the Divisional Playoffs hoping for one last crack at the
Super Bowl. The game would go back and forth as the Dolphins led 26-21 late
in the 4th Quarter. However, the Raiders were driving and with 26 seconds a
pass from Kenny Stabler went through a sea of Dolphins arms to WR Clarence Davis
to give the Raiders a 28-26 win, and ended the Dolphins two-year run as kings
of the NFL.1975: With the loss of Larry Csonka weighing heavily the Dolphins lose their season opener
at the Orange Bowl against the Raiders 31-21, ending their 31-game home winning
streak. However the Dolphins would still be competitive as they continued
to beat up on the Jets and Bills. However the Baltimore Colts would prove to be
a big roadblock to the playoffs. In the first game against the Colts at the Orange
Bowl on November 23rd Bob Griese tore a tendon in his foot as the Colts cruised
to an easy victory. However the Dolphins would not quit and with Don Strock
leading the team at QB the Dolphins went into the last game of the season in
a first place show down with Baltimore Colts. However, the Dolphins would lose
10-7 in Overtime, and miss the playoffs for the first time in the Shula era despite
a 10-4 record. 1976: With several of the key Dolphins from the Super Bowl teams gone, or showing the effects
of age the Dolphins would struggle with mediocrity all season finishing
in third place with a disappointing 6-8 record, suffering through their first losing
season in seven years.
1977: After suffering their first losing season under Coach Don Shula, the Dolphins bounce
back to finish 10-4. Despite missing the playoffs for the third year in a row
Bob Griese has a stellar year, despite being forced to wear thick eyeglasses
due to a problem with his contacts. Griese whose season is highlighted by a six
Touchdowns, 503-yard game in St. Louis against the Cardinals is named Player
of the year by the Maxwell Club of Philadelphia.1978: Despite Quarterback Bob Griese missing the first seven games due to a knee injury
the Dolphins get off to a 5-2 start behind back-up Don Strock. Upon Griese's return
the Dolphins go on to finish 11-5 and earn a birth to the playoffs as a Wild
Card. Helping to lead the Dolphins back to the postseason is Running Back Delvin
Williams who sets a team record with 1,258 yards rushing on the season. In
the first playoff game involving two Wild Cards the Dolphins are stunned 17-9
by the Houston Oilers at the Orange Bowl.
1979: Prior to the start of the season the Dolphins re-sign Larry Csonka who left to join
the WFL after the 1974 season. After the WFL folded after just a season and
a half Csonka played 3 seasons for the New York Giants. Despite struggles from
Bob Griese all year the Dolphins finish 10-6 and win their first division title
in five years. Among the season highlights are the Dolphins 19th and 20th consecutive
wins over the Buffalo Bills. For the entire decade of the 70's the Dolphins
hold a perfect 20-0 record over the Bills, which contributed to O.J. Simpson
never seeing any postseason success in his career. In the Divisional Playoff
the Dolphins are no match for the Pittsburgh Steelers who jump out to a 20-0 lead
in the 1st Quarter to win 34-14 on their way to their second Straight Super
Bowl Title.1980: Quarterback Bob Griese, the 14th passer in football history to eclipse 25,000 yards,
retires following a 14-year career with the Dolphins. He had presided over
101 of the 135 victories in the club's history (101-62-3) and was consensus All-Pro
in 1971 and 1977. The six-time Pro Bowl quarterback held records of 1,926
completions in 3,429 attempts, 25,092 yards and 56.2 percent passing accuracy.
He guided Miami to Super Bowl triumphs in 1972 and 1973. However, in Griese's final
season the Dolphins would only play mediocre football finishing in third place
with an 8-8 record.
1981: With the retirement of Bob Griese not much was expected out of the Dolphins, but
a new group would emerge to bring the Dolphins back to the top of the AFC East.
That group was the Dolphins Defense, which became known as the Killer Bees because
of the number of players whose last name began with the letter B. The Bees
were Bill Barnett, Bob Baumhauer, Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper, and Bob Brudzinski
they anchored a strong team without a true starting quarterback. During the
11-4-1 season Don Shula reached a milestone by winning his 200th game of his
coaching career. In the Divisional Playoffs against the San Diego Chargers the
Dolphins fell behind 24-0 early in front of a sold out crowd at the Orange Bowl.
With time running out in the first Half the Dolphins desperately needed a score
to get back in the game. Out of nowhere the Dolphins ran the old schoolyard
hook and lateral play to success. On the play Quarterback Don Strock threw a pass
over the middle to WR Duriel Harris who latteralled to WR Tony Nathan who ran
the ball in for Touchdown. The play sparked the Dolphins who came back, and took
a lead in the 4th Quarter. However, the Killer Bees could not contain Chargers
QB Dan Fouts who tied the game, and forced overtime where the Chargers won
the game on a Rolf Pernershka Field Goal in the 14th minute of Overtime.

1982: After scintillating playoff game against the San Diego Chargers Playoffs there was
reason for optimism, but the season was put in jeopardy when the NFLPA went on
strike on September 21st. The strike would last two months and would force the
NFL to go with a limited nine game schedule. When the season resumed in November
the Dolphins were in position to return to the playoffs. However, the Dolphins
road to the postseason had one strange pothole. On December 12th in a snowy
Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro the Dolphins and Patriots slid all over the field
all game long and were unable to put any points on the board. Late in the 4th Quarter
with Patriots in Field Goal range one of the most bizarre controversial
moments in NFL history occurred when a parolee working for the Patriots on a work
release program cleared a path for Ron Franklin to boot the game winning Field
Goal and gave the Dolphins a bitter 3-0 defeat. The Dolphins would go on to
finish with #2 seed in the AFC Playoffs with a 7-2 record. In the first round of
the playoffs the Dolphins faced the New England Patriots. However, this time
there was no snow, or convicted criminals to plow to give the Patriots an advantage.
The Dolphins would get revenge with interest by destroying the Patriots 28-3.
In the second Round the Dolphins choked off the San Diego Chargers famed offense
and defeat them 34-13 before 71,383 fans at the Orange Bowl. The Killer
Bees held the Chargers to only 247 yards in total offense, 203 yards below their
league-leading average. In the AFC Championship Game the Dolphins faced the New
York Jets in a steady down pour at the Orange Bowl. A.J. Duhe sets an AFC playoff
record with three interceptions, including one for a 35-yard touchdown romp,
as the Dolphins defeat the Jets for the third time in one season to win the
AFC crown, 14-0.Super Bowl XVII: In the Super Bowl played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena the Dolphins are matched up
against the Washington Redskins who they defeated ten years earlier in Super Bowl
VII. The Dolphins were able to grab a lead into halftime thanks in part to
the first kickoff return for a Touchdown that went 98 yards by Fulton Walker. However,
the Dolphins offense would sputter in the second half as Quarterbacks David
Woodley and Don Strock only completed one pass. However the Dolphins lead
stood up into the 4th Quarter when Running Back John Riggins broke a few tackles
to give the Redskins a lead they would not relinquish. The Redskins would pad
their lead to 27-17 as John Riggins took home Super Bowl MVP honors.
1983: Hoping to address their need at Quarterback the Dolphins draft Dan Marino with 27th
overall pick in the 1st Round. Though many questioned the pick at first Marino
would quickly become one of the premier passers in the NFL. Marino would make
his first start on October 9th against the Buffalo Bills at the Orange Bowl.
However, despite 322 yards passing from their star rookie the Bills beat the Dolphs
for the first time in 17 years at the Orange Bowl 38-35 in Overtime. However,
Marino would not experience much losing as the Dolphins won the AFC East with
a 12-4 record. However the Dolphins success would not carry on into the playoffs,
as the Dolphins were stunned 27-20 by the upstart Seattle Seahawks.1984: In Dan Marino's first full year as starter the Dolphins get off to a fast start winning
their first 11 games of the season. The Dolphins would end the season with
a 14-2 record as Dan Marino sets the league on its ear while winning the league
MVP. Marino sets records in TD passes and passing Yards in a season becoming
the first QB ever to pass for over 5,000 yards and score over 40 TD in a season.
In the Divisional Playoffs the Dolphins get revenge form the previous season
by plucking the Seahawks 31-10 to advance to the AFC Championship game. In the
AFC Championship game at the Orange Bowl the Dolphins were matched up against
the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dan Marino would again light up the scoreboard as the
Dolphins shot past the Steelers 45-28 to advance to their 5th Super Bowl in franchise
history.
Super Bowl XIX: In the Super Bowl the Dolphins were matched up against the San Francisco 49ers in
Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. Unfortunately for the Dolphins the
game would be like a home game for the 49er. The game was billed as a match up
of great QBS Dan Marino and Joe Montana. However, in the end the game would be
won by Montana who won his second Super Bowl MVP while the 49ers beat the Dolphins
38-16. After the game many thought it was a learning experience for Dan Marino
who would easily make several return trips to the big game.
1985: With a few injuries hampering both the offense and defense the Dolphins get off to
a 5-4 start. However, Dan Marino continues to impress once again leading the
league in all passing categories. On November 10th in a key game against the New
York Jets the Dolphins rally for 21-17 win thanks to Mark "Super" Duper who returns
from a broken leg to gain 217 receiving yards which was highlighted by a
game winning 50 yard pass from Dan Marino late in the 4th Quarter. The win would
spark a winning streak, which brought them up to a key Monday Night Match up
against the Chicago Bears on December 2nd. Going into the game the Bears dominated
all opponents and marched into the Orange Bowl undefeated with threat of equaling
the mark of greatness achieved by the Dolphins in 1972. For the game the
Dolphins had many members of that team on the sidelines for inspirational help.
The move worked as the Dolphins swarmed all over the Bears for a 38-24 victory
which score was closer then the game itself. The loss would be the only one
the Bears would suffer on the way to the Super Bowl Championship while the Dolphins
1972 remained the only team to finish a regular and postseason undefeated.
The Dolphins would go on to win the AFC East again with a 12-4 record. In the
Divisional Round of the Playoffs the Dolphins find themselves down early to the
Cleveland Browns 21-3. However, Marino would lead the Dolphins back into the game
as the Dolphins won 24-21 to advance back to the AFC Championship Game. In
the AFC Championship at the Orange Bowl the Dolphins were matched up against the
New England Patriots. The Dolphins would bumble and fumble their way all through
out the game with 6 turnovers as the Patriots stunned the Dolphins 31-14 to
advance to the Super Bowl against the Bears.
1986: The Dolphins get off to a bad start as the Dolphins defense is pushed around all
over the field. This is none more apparent then in the 2nd Game of the season when
the Dolphins lose 51-45 in Overtime to the Jets at the Meadowlands. In the
Game Marino passes for 448 yards and six Touchdowns, as a disturbing new trend
of spectacular Marino passing performances spoiled by a weak Dolphins Defense.
The Dolphins would wind up their final season in the Orange Bowl with a disappointing
8-8 record, while Marino set a NFL record for pass completions in a season.
1987: After the first Regular Season Game at Joe Robbie Stadium is cancelled due to a player's
strike the new state of the art stadium is forced to open with Replacement
Players on the field as the Dolphins Scabs win 42-0 over the Chiefs on October
11th. Two weeks later the regulars returned for the first game featuring the
regular players at Joe Robbie Stadium. The Dolphins would blow 21-point lead
as the Bills won 34-31 in Overtime. The Dolphins would go on to finish the season
with a disappointing 8-7 record missing the playoffs for the second straight
season. 1988: Despite Dan Marino passing for over 4,000 yards for the fourth time in his career
the Dolphins fall into the AFC East cellar with a 6-10 record as the Dolphins
Defense is battered and bruised again. The season is only the second losing season
for the Dolphins under Don Shula; they would not experience another sub .500
year in Shula's tenure.
1989: After suffering just their second losing season in 19 years the Dolphins continue
to play mediocre football missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season
with an 8-8 record. On January 7th only two weeks after the Dolphins season ended
Joe Robbie the co-founder, and longtime owner of the Miami Dolphins dies of
respiratory failure at age 73.
1990: After four years of frustration and no playoff appearances the Dolphins get off to
a fast start in their 25th season. Once again Dan Marino is at the top of the
league in all passing categories and ties Joe Montana's record for seven career
seasons over 3,000 yards passing. The Dolphins would easily qualify for the playoffs
with a solid 12-4 record, but they would lose a December 16th in Buffalo
to the Bills for the Division Title. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs the
Dolphins host the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Dolphins playoff game at Joe
Robbie Stadium. The Dolphins would fall behind early but thanks to a NFL playoff
record 58 yard Field Goal from Pete Stoyanovich and a late Touchdown pass
from Dan Marino the Dolphins won 17-16 to advance to the Divisional Round. A week
later in Buffalo, the Dolphins drop a 44-34-playoff decision to the Bills. The
two teams combine for 78 points, for the highest scoring non-overtime playoff
game in NFL history.
1991: On September 22nd in a game with Green Bay Packers the Dolphins win 16-13 to give
Don Shula his 300th win in his coaching career. With the win Shula becomes just
the second coach ever to reach the 300 mark, and is only 24 behind George Halas'
NFL record. Dan Marino also makes history by becoming the first Quarterback
to pass for over 3,000 yards eight times in his career. Despite the milestones
the Dolphins struggle with injuries to the Defense all season and lose a heartbreaking
last game to the New York Jets at Joe Robbie Stadium to finish 8-8 and
miss the playoffs.
1992: The Dolphins first game of the season is delayed a week because of the devastation
from Hurricane Andrew, this would cause the Dolphins to play 16 consecutive weeks
without a bye. However, that would end up having no adverse affect on the
Dolphins what so ever, as Dan Marino has another stellar year to lead the Dolphins
to an 11-5 record. There 11-5 record was good enough to give them the AFC East
title via a tie-breaker over the Buffalo Bills. The key victory of the season
comes on October 4th in Buffalo as the Dolphins bomb the Bills 37-10 in a game
highlighted by Louis Oliver's 103-yard Interception return for a Touchdown.
In the Divisional Round of the Playoffs the Dolphins are matched up against the
San Diego Chargers. The game ends up being no contest as the Dolphins crush the
Chargers 31-0 to advance to the AFC Championship Game. However, the Super Bowl
dream will end a week later when the Bills beat the Dolphins 29-10 in Joe Robbie
Stadium to advance to their third Straight Super Bowl tying the Dolphins record.
In the heart-breaking Championship game the Dolphins aid the Bills cause
with five key turnovers. 1993: The Dolphins get off to a 3-1 start, as Dan Marino becomes the fourth quarterback
to pass for over 40,000 yards in his career. However, on October 10th in Cleveland
the Dolphins hopes for making it to the Super Bowl suffer a devastating hit
when Dan Marino tears his Achilles tendon in his right foot. Backup Scott Mitchell
rallies the Dolphins to a 24-14 win, but Marino will be out the rest of the
season. Mitchell would go on to win his first two games as a starter helping
Don Shula tie George Halas' record of 324 career coaching wins. After a November
7th loss to the Jets the Dolphins go to Philadelphia for a November 14th game
against the Eagles. In the third the injury bug bites the Dolphins again as QB
Scott Mitchell separates his shoulder. With the Dolphins trailing 14-13 in the
3rd Don Shula would have to relay on 3rd stringer Doug Pederson to break George
Halas' win record. Pederson is so nervous he throws up when he is told
to enter game. However, he is able to guide the Dolphs to two Field Goals as the
Dolphins keep the Eagles off the board, and Don Shula becomes the all-time Winningest
coach in NFL history with a 19-14 win. Despite the injuries to the quarterback
position the Dolphins get off to an 8-2-start heading to Dallas for a
Thanksgiving Game against the Cowboys. The game is played in a freak storm as
wet snow and sleet cover the field all game and makes running, and scoring tough
for both teams. Trailing 14-13 with 15 seconds left Peter Stoyanovich sets
up for a 41-yard Field Goal attempt. However, Jimmie Jones blocks the kick
and it appears to give the Cowboys the victory, but Leon Lett attempts to pick
up the ball and muffs it allowing the Dolphins to recover a fumble and set up for
another Field Goal this time from only 20 yards away. This time Stoyanovich
nails it dead center to give the Dolphins a16-14 win to improve to an NFL best
9-2. Unfortunately the injuries would continue to pile up as key players on defense
and offense were being added to the Dolphins mash unit. This would lead to
the Dolphins losing their final five games, which causes them to miss the playoffs.
However, as a consolation Don Shula is named Sports Illustrated Sportsmen
of the Year for breaking Halas' record. 1994: Returning from his injury Dan Marino makes a statement in his very first game passing
for 473 yards and five Touchdowns in a 39-35 win over the New England Patriots.
During the game Marino becomes just the second quarterback to throw over
300 TD passes in his career. History of another sort is made on October 2nd when
the Dolphins beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-7. What makes the game historic is
David Shula coaches the Bengals, and it marks the first time ever in professional
sports that a father faces his son in a coaching duel. The Dolphins would
go o to finish the season with a 10-6 record good enough for the AFC East title.
The Dolphins 10-6 record was good enough for the Division Title but not the Wild
Card bye, and the Dolphins were matched up against the Kansas City Chiefs in
the Wild Card Round. in the Dolphins 27-17 at Joe Robbie Stadium win Dan Marino
completes 22 of 29 passes for 257 yards with two touchdowns. The game will have
a historic footnote as it ends up being the final game for Hall of Fame Quarterback
Joe Montana. In the Divisional Playoffs the Dolphins faced the San Diego
Chargers. The Dolphins led all game until the Chargers took a 22-21 lead with
just 35 seconds left in regulation. The Dolphins had one final chance to win
the game as Dan Marino drove the team to the Chargers' 30-yard line but Pete Stoyanovich's
48-yard field goal attempt with eight seconds left was wide right.
1995: The season is a year full of milestones for Dan Marino as he breaks the NFL record
for pass completions on October 8th against the Colts with 3,686. Then on November
12th against the Patriots Marino breaks the NFL record of yards passing of
47,003. Then two weeks later in Indianapolis Dan Marino throws his 343rd career
Touchdowns pass breaking Fran Tarkenton's record. However, the Dolphins
lose all three games and finish with a 9-7 record barely squeezing in to the
playoffs as the 6th seed. In the Wild Card round against the Bills in Buffalo Dan
Marino passes for 422 in a 37-22 loss. The game would prove to be the final
one coached by Don Shula who is forced to retire by new owner H. Wayne Huizenga
who wants to bring in Jimmy Johnson to run the team. Despite the way his career
ended Shula would remain in the Dolphins front office. In Shula's 33 years as
coach he collects a record of 347-173-6. During his 26 years at the helm of the
Dolphins the team only suffers two losing season and wins two Super Bowls in
five trips to the big game. 1996: On September 1st in the newly renamed Pro Player Stadium Jimmy Johnson gets a win
in his first game as coach of the Dolphins 24-10 over the Patriots, as Rookie
Karim Abdul-Jabar rushes for 115 yards. However, the Dolphins will struggle to
finish 8-8 in a year of transition. However, not all is lost as the Dolphins sweep
the season series with Bills for the first time in ten years. In addition Karim
Abdul-Jabar becomes the first Dolphin to rush for more than 1,000 yards since
Delvin Williams in 1978.
1997: Thanks to a 9-4 start the Dolphins are able to get back to the postseason, but the
way they enter the playoffs can't satisfy any team, as they s lose each of their
final three games including a final week Monday Night Showdown with Patriots
for the Division Title. The Dolphins would also lose to the Patriots six days
later in Foxboro as Dan Marino has one of his worst games ever while the Dolphins
fall to the Pats 17-3.
1998: The Dolphins put together a solid 10-6 playoff season highlighted by Dan Marino surpassing
the 400 Career Touchdown mark on November 29th against the New Orleans
Saints. However, the game of the year comes on a December 21st tilt against the
Denver Broncos on Monday Night at The Pro. The game features the last match
up of Dan Marino and John Elway in Miami. The Dolphins will win the game 31-21.
The win is the Dolphins 34th all-time on Monday Night Football establishing a
new NFL record. In the Wild Card Round against the Buffalo Bill at Pro Player Stadium,
the Dolphins dispatch some past frustrations by beating the Bills for the
first time ever in the playoffs 24-17. The win set up a Divisional Round rematch
with Broncos in Mile High Stadium. However, the rematch turns into a mismatch
as the Dolphins were never in the game and lose 38-3 to the eventual Super
Bowl Champions. After the game Jimmy Johnson resigns, but he is talked into returning
for one more crack at the Super Bowl.1999: The season's theme from the start of the season is one last shot as not only Jimmy
Johnson in his final season, but so is Dan Marino the all-time NFL passer. The
Dolphins get off to a good start thanks to their 8th consecutive season opening
victory at Mile High Stadium in Denver. However, the success does not last as
Marino struggles more ever week with a sore shoulder. Marino would eventually
have to sit out five games because of it and when the Dolphins played their best
football during Marino's absence the already storm relationship between Johnson
and Marino got worse. Despite the struggle the Dolphins manage to sneak in
the playoffs with a 9-7 record. In the Wild Card round Dan Marino completes 17
of 30 passes for 196 yards with one Touchdown and no interceptions in the
victory, in which he guided a late drive that led to the game-winning touchdown
with 4:48 remaining in Seattle over the Seahawks. However one week later in Jacksonville
the Marino era will come to a forgettable end as the Dolphins lose
62-7 in the most one-sided AFC playoff game ever against their upstate rival Jaguars.
2000: On March 13th in a press conference at Pro Player Stadium Dan Marino announces his
retirement from the NFL. During his 17-year career all with the Dolphins Marino
shatters the record of Passing Yards with 61,361, and Touch Downs with 420.
However, he never got back to the Super Bowl after his second season. Weather it
was a poor defense, injury, or age something always got in the way of Marino's
Super Bowl Dream. The Dolphins would go on toe honor Marino several times including
a pre-season tribute on August 23rd where 50,000 fans turn out just to see
Marino honored even without a football game in a 4-hour tribute. The Dolphins
also rename the boulevard outside the Northwest Corner of Pro Player Stadium
in his honor. The new address of the Pro would now read 2269 Dan Marino Boulevard.
However, the biggest honors come during a September 17th game against the Baltimore
Ravens at halftime. In the ceremony Marino is inducted in the Dolphins
honor role, his number 13 is retired, and a statue is unveiled outside the stadium.
2000: With the retirement of Dan Marino, and the previous failure of coach Dave Wannstedt
in the NFL not much is expected from the Dolphins in 2000. However the defense
establishes itself early with a season opening shutout over the Seahawks at
the Pro 23-0. Not only do the Dolphins make the playoffs, but also they finish
11-5 and are a surprising winner of the AFC East. Highlighting the march to the
Division Title is RB LaMar Smith rushes for 1,139 yards. Leading the way on defense
are Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, and Trace Armstrong who lead smothering defense
that is among the top in 10 in almost all major categories. In addition CBs
Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain lead a secondary that lead the NFL in interceptions.
In the First Round of the Playoffs at Pro Player Stadium the Dolphins
find themselves down 14-0 to the Indianapolis Colts in the 3rd Quarter. However
RB Lamar helps lead the Dolphins back into the game and into Over Time. In OT
it was Smith again who gave the Dolphins a 23-17 win with a 17-yard run with 3:34
left in the 1st OT. In the game Smith rushes for 20 yards the second-highest
figure in NFL playoff history and the most-ever by a Dolphin (regular season or
postseason). However, 1 week later in the Divisional Round the Dolphins get blow
out for the 3rd year in a row 34-0 at Oakland against the Raiders.
2001: With the starting quarterback job firmly in the hands of Jay Fiedler, the Dolphins
got off to a 2-0 start and got a measure of revenge against the Oakland Raiders
when Fielder's quarterback sneak with less than ten seconds left gave the Dolphins
a 18-15 come from behind win. The Fiedler led Dolphins would get off to
a fast winning six of their first eight games. However the New York Jets would
prove to be a pest again, as the Dolphins lost 24-0 at home to fall to 6-3. Little
did anyone know at the time that loss might have been the most devastating
of the season. The Dolphins would win 3 straight before falling to 9-4, heading
into a showdown for the AFC East title in New England against the Patriots. Facing
a hostile crowd the Dolphins would lose and fall into a first place tie. However
the sweep by the Jets caused eth Dolphins who finished 11-5 to lose the
division by a tiebreaker. In the playoffs a banged up Dolphins would fall in the
wild card game to the Baltimore Ravens 20-3, while the Patriots went on and won
the Super Bowl.2002: To help improve their offense the Dolphins acquire RB Rickey Williams a former Heisman
Trophy Winner from the New Orleans Saints. Williams would have an immediate
impact as the Dolphins got off to a terrific 5-1 start. However, in a thrilling
Week 6 primetime game on the road against the Denver Broncos Quarterback Jay
Fiedler injures his thumb as he Dolphins win in the finally seconds 24-22 on
a 55-yard Field Goal by Olindo Mare. With Fielder on the sidelines the Dolphins
would struggle as backup Ray Lucas struggled with turnovers as the Dolphins lost
three traight games. Lucas would rebound to win two straight games, but once
again was bit by the turnover bug as the Buffalo Bills swept the Dolphins. Fiedler
did return to play the second half against the Bills but was clearly rusty.
Despite the injuries and turnovers, the Dolphins appeared to be heading for the
AFC East title behind the dominant running of Rickey Williams who set a franchise
record with 1,853 yards, winning the league's rushing title. However, two
bad losses in the final two games to the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots
would drop the Dolphins out of the playoff completely as they finished in
third place with a 9-7 record.
2003: The Dolphins came into the season with championship aspirations, but got off to a
shaky start as they were caught with their pants down in the season opener losing
at home to the Houston Texans 21-20. The Dolphins would recover and would win
their next four games to enter a showdown at Pro Player Stadium against the
New England Patriots 4-1 with first place at stake. At the same time the Florida
Marlins were making a surprise run to a World Series Title so the Dolphins still
had to play on the dirt infield. This would end up costing them what would
turn out to be the most vital game of the season as Olindo Mare missed a 36-yard
Field Goal in the final minute of regulation. Mare would miss a 35-yarder in
overtime before the Pats won the game 19-13 on a Tom Brady 82-yard Touchdown pass.
Both of Mare's misses came off the infield dirt. Injuries would once again
take their toll on QB Jay Fiedler as Brian Griese son of Dolphins Hall of Famer
Bob took over the starting job in the middle of the season. Griese would fail
to live up to his fathers name as the Dolphins struggled splitting the next four
games. The Dolphins stared another loss in the face in Week 12, as they trailed
the Washington Redskins at home 23-10 late in the 3rd Quarter when Fiedler came
in off the bench to lead to 4th Quarter Scoring drives to keep the Dolphins
playoff hopes alive with a 24-23 win. The win seemed to lift the spirits of the
Dolphins who carved the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving 40-21 to enter a must
win game against the Patriots with a 8-4. However a blizzard would arrive in New
England at the same time and the Dolphins looked cold and confused in 28 inches
of snow as they were shutout 12-0. The Dolphins would lose again to the Philadelphia
Eagles on Monday Night the following week to fall to 8-6, even with two
wins the Dolphins would be unable to sneak into the playoffs despite a solid
10-6 record. 2004: Following the Dolphins second straight season without the playoffs would come the
most turbulent off-season the elite franchise's history. Despite being unpopular
with the fans the Dolphins decided to keep Coach Dave Wannstedt, while bringing
in a General Manager, Rick Spielman to make personnel decisions. At the same
time Dan Marino returned to the organization as club president, but less then
a month into the job Marino had second thought about taking a job viewed mainly
as a figurehead position and resigned. Off the field Randy McMichael would get
arrested for domestic violence, while Ricky Williams tested positive for Marijuana
and faced a suspension. Things would go from bad to worse a week before training
camp when Williams failed another drug test and suddenly decided to retire,
in protest to the NFL's strict schedule and rules against Marijuana use, leaving
the Dolphins with a giant void entering the season, which was to late to
fill. The turbulent off-season would lead to an absolute nightmare season as the
Dolphins lost the opener 17-7 to the Tennessee Titans as Hurricane Ivan was
bearing down on South Florida. After losing Week 2 on the road in Cincinnati to
the Bengals 16-13, the Dolphins were forced to rearrange their schedule again
for Hurricane Jeanne playing at night in a quagmire losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers
13-3. The losses would continue to mount as the Dolphins lost their first
6 games on the way to a dreadful 1-8 start that would lead to the resignation
of Coach Dave Wannstedt. Under Interim Coach Jim Bates things would not get better
as they dropped there next 2 games before beating the San Francisco 49ers
24-17 in a match up of 1-8 teams, marking the 20th anniversary of their Super Bowl
XIX match up when the two were a combined 33-3. Nothing went right for the
Dolphins all season as new QB A.J. Feeley was often mistake prone throwing several
interception which were returned for Touchdowns, as the Dolphins spent the
entire season in last place posting a franchise worst 4-12 record. However, one
lone bright spot came on a Monday Night in December when the Dolphins stunned
the eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots 29-28 as the Dolphins defense
intercepted Tom Brady twice in the final two minutes. Following the season
the Dolphins hoping to get the season behind them hired LSU Coach Nick Saban to
lead the future, while releasing Quarterback Jay Fiedler who lost his job to
Feeley during the season. The Dolphins would go on to draft Ronnie Brown of Auburn
with the second overall pick, while leaving the door open for Ricky Williams
to return.
2005: Ricky Williams would return to the Dolphins but would have to serve a four game suspension
for failing a drug test, without Williams the Dolphins started the Nick
Saban era in style by hammering the Denver Broncos 34-10 as Quarterback Gus
Frerotte has a successful debut passing for 275 yards. After losing to the New
York Jets in Week 2 the Dolphins bounced back strongly in Week 2 to upend the Carolina
Panthers as Ronnie Brown rushed for 132 yards. The Dolphins seemed to be
playing well as they sat with a 2-1 record, but things would quickly sour as
they won just one of their next seven games, including a horrible 22-0 loss to
the Cleveland Browns as Frerotte and back up QB Sage Rosenfelds combined for just
55 total passing yards. Frerotte and the Dolphins would bounce back nicely the
following week as they beat the Oakland Raiders on the road 33-21. A week later
things appeared bleak again as the Dolphins trailed the Buffalo Bills at home
21-0 after the 1st Quarter. The Dolphins could not get their offense going all
day as Rosenfelds replaced Frerotte again in the 4th Quarter trailing 23-3.
However, with a Ricky Williams Touchdown run the Dolphins began creeping back into
the game. Midway through the 4th the Dolphins got with in a Touchdown as Rosenfelds
connected with Ronnie Brown on a 23-yard screen pass that made it 23-17.
Then in the game's waning moments Rosenfelds found Chris Chambers on a four
yard pass with six seconds left to give the Dolphins a stunning 24-23 comeback
win. Charged up the Dolphins would win their third game in a row the following
week as they stunned the San Diego Chargers on the road 23-21. The Dolphins would
continue to stay hot the rest of the season winning their final six games to
finish with a respectable 9-7 record, good enough for second place, but not for
the playoffs, but renewing optimism in Miami. However, not all news would be
good news as Ricky Williams, who finished the season strong, failed another drug
test following the season and was suspended for a entire year. The loss of Ricky,
would not sting too long as the Dolphins were proactive, as they acquired
All-Pro Quarterback Daunte Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings for second round
draft pick.
2006: When the Dolphins season began there was renewed optimism thanks to their strong
finish and the acquisition of Daunte Culpepper, even Sports Illustrated was on
board picking the Dolphins to play in the Super Bowl at Dolphin Stadium. However,
when the games played that optimism evaporated quickly as the Dolphins dropped
the season opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-17 as Culpepper had an interception
returned 42 yards by Joey Porter with three minutes left. A week later
in the home opener Culpepper had a tough time just staying on his feet as he is
sacked seven times in a 16-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins would win
a week later against the Tennessee Titans, but Culpepper continued to struggle,
as the Dolphins lost three of their first four games before lingering knee soreness
forced Daunte Culpepper to the sidelines, for what turned out to be the
rest of the season, as he compiled just 929 yards with two Touchdowns and three
Interceptions in four games. With Joey Harrington under center the Dolphins did
not play much better losing three straight as they entered the bye week with
the worst record in the NFL at 1-6. Coming out of the bye the Dolphins suddenly
caught fire thanks to their defense as they handed the Chicago Bears their first
loss of the season in Soldier Field 31-13, as Jason Taylor was in the face of
Rex Grossman all day even returning an interception for a touchdown. It would
be the first of four straight wins culminating in a Thanksgiving 27-10 win over
the Detroit Lions, as Harrington threw three touchdown passes. However, the Dolphins
late season comeback started to take on a cross wind as rumors circulated
that Coach Nick Saban was considering returning to the NCAA with Alabama, who
had recently fired Mike Shula, the son of legendary Dolphins Coach Don Shula.
After a 24-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Dolphins defense led by Jason
Taylor shutout the New England Patriots 21-0, as they sacked Tom Brady four
times and held him to just 78 yards passing. However, that would be the last win
of the season as the Dolphins were shutout themselves a week later in Buffalo
21-0 as Cleo Lemon took over the rest of the way at Quarterback with the Dolphins
finishing in last place with a disappointing 6-10 record. As the Dolphins
closed the season with three straight losses the Saban Alabama rumors continued
to persist despite a flat boldface denial from Saban that he was committed to
rebuilding the Dolphins, who had turned down Drew Brees the NFL's leading passer
for Daunte Culpepper who looked to be finished as an effective starting QB. Naturally
Nick Saban was lying as he left the Dolphins high and dry following the
season signing a multi million dollar deal to Coach Alabama. In his wake the
Dolphins were in shambles once again, as they were two years ago when Saban took
over as both Coach and head of player personnel. The Dolphins would eventually
tab Cam Cameron to replace Saban as coach, while Culpepper was released as the
Dolphins acquired Trent Green from the Kansas City Chiefs.
2007: With new Coach Cam Cameron the Dolphins entered the season with fans still puzzling
over their draft strategy as they chose WR Ted Ginn Jr. from Ohio State with
the ninth overall pick, passing over QB Brady Quinn of Notre Dame, while later
choosing BYU Quarterback John Beck who spent two years on a Mormon mission in
the second round. With veteran QB Trent Green under center the Dolphins started
the season in Washington hoping they could compete for a playoff spot. They would
play well in the opener, but ultimately lost in overtime as the offense seemed
stuck in neutral losing 16-13. A week later in the home opener nothing seemed
to be going for the Dolphins as they were slammed by the Dallas Cowboys, with
Trent Green throwing four interceptions. Against the New York Jets in Week 3
the Dolphins late charge fell just short as they dropped to 0-3 with a 31-28 loss.
The Dolphins misery continued the following week as they were beaten up by
the Oakland Raiders 35-17, as Daunte Culpepper who was released by the Dolphins
after struggling in 2006 returned to Miami and scored three rushing touchdowns,
while Trent green continued to remain out of sync with the Dolphins receivers.
Trent Green would be knocked out in Week 5 as was taken off the field after attempting
just two passes in the first quarter with a season ending concussion,
while back up Cleo Lemon struggled, the Dolphins defense kept them in the game.
However, Kris Brown nailed a 57-yard field goal as they game ended to give the
Houston Texans a 22-19 win dropping the Dolphins to 0-5. The Dolphins losing
streak extended to nine as they fell to 0-6 with a 41-31 loss on the road to the
Cleveland Brown, following the game the Dolphins traded to top receiver Chris
Chambers to the San Diego Chargers for a draft pick. Meanwhile in New England
the Patriots were 6-0 with Wes Welker turning into an All-Pro, demonstrating the
continued poor decision making of the Dolphins. When they came to Miami to play
the Dolphins in Week 7 the two teams were on opposite ends of the spectrum as
there were whispers being made the Patriots could make a run at undefeated season,
something only accomplished by the 1972 Dolphins, while the 2007 team looked
as if they would never win a game. The game was as ugly as expected as Welker
had a big day in his return to Miami, while the Pats held a 42-7 halftime lead.
The Dolphins would score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the
game somewhat cosmetically look better as they dropped to 0-7 with a 49-28 loss.
However, the loss was extra painful as RB Ronnie Brown suffered a season ending
knee injury, the Dolphins would also lose Zach Thomas a few days later as the
concussion he suffered earlier in the season was aggravated in a car accident.
The Dolphins felt lucky to be going to London as they faced the New York Giants
in the first regular season game outside of North America, nonetheless the
Dolphins were still as bad if not worse then there record suggested as Cleo Lemon
continued to demonstrate he had no business being a NFL starting QB as the Dolphins
lost 13-10 in a game played in sloppy conditions at Wembley Stadium. While
the Patriots continued their run at perfection the Dolphins continued their
run of misery losing to the Buffalo Bills 13-10 following a bye week. The following
week the Dolphins would give a shot to John Beck, but he was no better then
Lemon as the Dolphins fell to 0-10 with a 17-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles,
with A.J. Feeley coming on for an injured Donovan McNabb to beat his former
team. A week later on a Monday Night in Pittsburgh, Ricky Williams returned to
the lineup after finally being reinstated by the NFL, but only made six carriers
before suffering a season ending rib injury. The game would be one of the ugliest
in NFL history as heavy rains turned Heinz Field into a quagmire, but not
even dry ground would help the Dolphins anemic offense as they dropped to 0-11
with a 3-0 loss. Cleo Lemon would get the starting job back after the Dolphins
fell to 0-12 with a 40-13 loss to the New York Jets in which Rookie John Beck
looked awful with five turnovers. However, Lemon did not fair any better in a 38-17
loss on the road to the Buffalo Bills that came one day before the one year
anniversary of the 0-13 Dolphins last win. With the cruel twist of the rival
Patriots approaching an unbeaten season the Dolphins faced the Baltimore Ravens
with a winless season looming the once great franchise. After trailing 13-3 at
halftime the Dolphins found themselves with their first legitimate chance to win
in weeks as they tied the game early in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins would
then take the lead with 1:56 left as Jay Feely hit a 29-yard field goal. However,
the Ravens drove down the field and had the ball at the Dolphins goalline.
However, instead of trying to punch it against the Dolphins worn down defense
the Ravens chose to send the game to overtime. In OT the Dolphins would finally
break through as Greg Camarillo turned a short pass from Cleo Lemon into a game
winning 64-yard TD dash. The win came more then a year after the Dolphins last
win, and helped them avoid the first 0-16 season in NFL history. However, they
would be helpless to watch the Patriots finish the season 16-0. The Dolphins
would end the season with two more losses, as Bill Parcells was hired as the team's
new President. As soon as the season was over the house cleaning began as
the Dolphins entire coaching staff and front office was purged. Parcells in his
first front office job was famous for helping to guide the Giants to two Super
Bowl titles, while helping to turn the fortunes of the Patriots and Jets. In
his most recent Coaching job he also helped the Cowboys become serious contenders
again, on of his top assistants in Dallas was Tony Sparano, who would be hired
to be the eighth head coach of the Dolphins. As the 1-15 season was still stinging
and the Dolphins tired to dig to through the ashes and find a foundation
to build around the spirit and legacy of the 1972 Dolphins remained safe as the
Giants stunned the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII 17-14, keeping the Dolphins as
the only residents of Perfectville.

2008: The new regime had to make some tough decisions, and releasing Zach Thomas was part
of it as the popular Linebacker who missed most of the season with a concussion
was too expensive and too old for a team that needed to start from scratch.
Bill Parcells would also eventually get rid of Jason Taylor whose appearances
on the popular reality show "Dancing with the Stars" did not sit well with the
straight laced Parcells. Taylor would be traded to the Washington Redskins from
draft picks as training camp began, while the Dolphins signed Quarterback Chad
Pennington after he was released by the New York Jets in favor of Brett Favre.
Starting from scratch also meant rebuilding from the ground up and drafting a
block of granite in Jake Long of Michigan to rebuild the Dolphins offensive line,
with the first overall pick. The Tony Sparano era got off to a rough start as
the Dolphins dropped their first two games against the New York Jets and Arizona
Cardinals. Entering a Week 3 match up with the New England Patriots, the Dolphins
looked for a way to get a jump start. Devising an offensive scheme called
the Wildcat; the Dolphins stunned the Patriots in Foxboro 38-13. The Wildcat
was nothing new it was a throwback to simpler days and leather helmets in what
was called the single wing, with the half back getting the ball from center and
either running an rushing play, an option play or a pass, it seemed to confuse
the Patriots, as Ronnie Brown rushed four touchdowns, and passed for another.
Following the Bye Week, the Dolphins returned home and had another strong performance
to upset the San Diego Chargers 17-10. However, the Dolphins would hit a
bump in the road, losing their next two games to the Houston Texans and Baltimore
Ravens. Still at 2-4 the Dolphins felt they were making progress, especially
coming off a 1-15 disaster. Against the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins got back
into the win column as Chad Penning passed for 314 yards in a 25-16 win that got
them back on track. A week later they would get back to .500 with a 26-17 upset
win over the Denver Broncos on the road. Following home wins over the Seattle
Seahawks and Oakland Raiders, the Dolphins defense was exposed by the Patriots,
who exacted revenge for the Week 3 loss by beating the Dolphins 48-28 in Miami.
However the Dolphins got back on track right away beating the St. Louis Rams
16-12, and the Buffalo Bills 16-3 in the first NFL regular season game played
in Canada. At 8-5 the Dolphins were the big surprise of the NFL as they were not
only in the thick of the playoff chase, they had a shot at the division title.
Following wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs the Dolphins
entered the last week of the season with destiny in their own hands as they
faced the New York Jets at the Meadowlands. For Quarterback Chad Pennington it
was the ultimate revenge as he led the Dolphins to the division title with 200
yards passing, and two touchdown passes, as the Dolphins defense intercepted Brett
Favre three times as the Dolphins won the game 24-17 to win the AFC East with
an 11-5 record; remarkable ten game improvement. While, the Wildcat got all
of the media attention for the Dolphins turnaround, it was the Dolphins ball control
that was the key as they tied a NFL record for fewest turnovers in a 16-game
season with 13. However, in the Wild Card round that ball control was no where
to be found, as Chad Pennington was intercepted four times in a disappointing
27-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at home.
2009: Coming off their stunning turnaround the Dolphins, welcomed back Jason Taylor who
spent the 2008 season with the Washington Redskins. Hoping to build on the momentum
of a division title the Dolphins started the season with tough 19-7 loss
to the Atlanta Falcons. In the game the Dolphins committed four turnovers, which
was nearly a third of what they committed the entire 2008 season. In their home
opener on Monday Night Football, the Dolphins played considerably better controlling
the ball more than 40 minutes. However, the quick strike ability of Quarterback
Peyton Manning allowed the Colts to leave Land Shark Stadium with a 27-23
win. Things got worse the following week as the Dolphins dropped to 0-3 with
a 23-13 loss to the San Diego Chargers. In the game the Dolphins would lose
Quarterback Char Pennington for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.
With second year QB Chad Henne making his first start a week later, the Dolphins
got their first win of the year by beating the Buffalo Bills 38-10, as Henne
passed for 115 yards with a touchdown. A week later on Monday Night Football
the Dolphins used the Wildcat to confound the New York Jets, winning 31-27 in
a game that saw five lead changes in the 4th Quarter, with Ronnie Brown scoring
the winning two yard Touchdown off a direct snap with six seconds left. Following
the bye week, the Dolphins were beaten by the New Orleans Saints 46-34, in
a game that simply got away from the Dolphins in the second half after they held
a 24-3 lead late in the 2nd Quarter, with Chad Henne having two interceptions
returned for touchdowns. The Dolphins would rebound by beating the New York
Jets a week later in the Meadowlands, winning a game they had no business winning
as they barely mustered 100 yards total offense. However, two long kickoff returns
for a touchdown by Ted Ginn Jr. and a fumble recovered and returned for
a touchdown in the 3rd Quarter proved to be the difference. Following a 27-17 loss
to the New England Patriots on the road, the Dolphins took round one in the
battle of Florida beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-23 as Dan Carpenter nailed
a 25 yard field goal with ten seconds left. The game would prove costly as they
lost Running Back Ronnie Brown to a season ending ankle injury. The Dolphins
would reach .500 for the first time during the season a week later by beating
the Carolina Panthers 24-17 on the road. However, a frustrating 31-14 loss to
the Buffalo Bills on the road again put them in a hole, as the Bills scored 24
unanswered points in the 4th Quarter. The Dolphins would recover a week later in
Miami, as they rallied to beat the New England Patriots 22-21, winning the game
on a 42 yard field goal by Dan Carpenter. The Dolphins would climb to 7-6 and
into playoff contention by winning the battle for Florida part two against the
Jacksonville Jaguars 14-10 on the road. However, that would be the final win
of the season, as the Dolphins comeback against the Tennessee Titans ended in disappointment
with a 27-24 loss in overtime. Deflated the Dolphins would lose equally
frustrating games to the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers to finish
the season with a record of 7-9.2010: After a disappointing finish, the Dolphins looked to rebound and get back to the
playoffs as Chad Henne was named quarterback at the start of the season, while
WR Brandon Marshall was acquired from the Denver Broncos for a draft pick. When
the season started it was the defense that led the way as they beat the Buffalo
Bills 15-10 in the season opener. A week later the defense played big again,
as they picked off Brett Favre three times and recovered a fumble in the endzone
to take a 14-10 lead against the Minnesota Vikings. The Dolphins would make that
lead hold with a thrilling goaline stand in the games closing minutes. The
Dolphins would finally come home to face the New York Jets, but they were unable
to repeat their defensive effort from the first two games as they suffered a
31-23 loss, despite Brandon Marshall gaining 166 yards and his first touchdown
of the season. A week later it would be more of the same as the Dolphins were beaten
by the New England Patriots 41-14 on Monday Night Football. After the bye
week the Dolphins were able to get back on track with a 23-20 overtime win over
the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, winning the game on a 44 yard field goal
by Dan Carpenter. A week later back home in Miami the Dolphins suffered a controversial
loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers as officials were unable to determine
who recovered a fumble by Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, given a second chance
the Steelers would win the game 23-22 on a chip shot field goal by Jeff Reed.
After splitting the next two games on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals
and Baltimore Ravens, the Dolphins turned to Chad Pennington to get their offense
back on track. However, Pennington would suffer a shoulder injury while leading
the Dolphins down the field on the first possession of the game. Chad Henne
would enter the game, and would also suffer a knee injury forcing third string
QB Tyler Thigpen into action. The Dolphins would end up with a 29-17 win as
they used the wildcat significantly for the first time all season. The Dolphins
would only have four days to prepare for their next game, as they hosted the
Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. With Thigpen under center, the Dolphins
defense remained stuck in neutral as they managed just 187 yards total offense
while losing 16-0. Chad Henne would return the following week and lead the Dolphins
to a 33-17 win on the road against Oakland Raiders, with 307 yards passing.
The win improved the Dolphins to 5-1 on the road. However, at home it
was a different story as the Dolphins suffered an excusable 13-10 loss to the
Cleveland Browns, as Mike Adams intercepted Henne late in the 4th Quarter to set
Phil Dawson up for the game winning field goal. With the loss the Dolphins dropped
to 6-6 on the season, posting a record of 1-5 at home. The Dolphins continued
to channel Kenny Rodgers and won on the road again to get back over .500
and keep their fading playoff hopes alive as they stunned the New York Jets 10-6
on a chilly rainy afternoon in the Meadowlands. However, coming home the Dolphins
continued to disappoint their home fans as they dropped two straight to the
Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. With the losses the Dolphins posted a terrible
1-7 record at home during the season. The Dolphins would end the season with
38-7 loss to the New England Patriots on the road. The Dolphins would finish the
season with a solid 6-2 road record, but due their awful play at Sun Life Stadium
they finished the year with a record of 7-9 for the second straight season.
Having breakout seasons for the Dolphins were Cameron Wake and Randy Starks
who each made the Pro Bowl for the first time.2011: When the season began for the Dolphins it was clear that Coach Tony Sparano sat on
the hottest seat in the NFL, as the team made no secret that it was looking into
hiring Jim Harbaugh during the off-season. Starting the year on Monday Night
against the New England Patriots, the Dolphins had a chance to make a strong
early statement. However, their defense which included the returning Jason Taylor
was shredded by Tom Brady who passed for 517 yards with four touchdowns, including
a 99 yard pass to Wes Welker. Dolphins Quarterback Chad Henne had a good
game, but his 416 yards and two Touchdowns went largely ignored. A week later
the Dolphins struggles at home continued as their offense sputtered in a 23-13
loss to the Houston Texans. Leading the Cleveland Browns 16-10 late in the fourth
quarter, the Dolphins again suffered heartbreak as Colt McCoy connected with
Mohamed Massaquoi on a game winning 14 yard Touchdown pass with 14 seconds left
as the Browns won 17-16. The following week, the Dolphins would lose again on
the road to the San Diego Chargers 26-16, as QB Chad Henne separated his non-throwing
shoulder and was lost for the season. With Matt Moore making the start,
the Dolphins played a listless Monday Night Game in the Meadowlands against the
New York Jets, losing 24-6. Returning home, the Dolphins appeared to be on their
way to their first win, as they held a 15-0 lead against the Denver Broncos.
In the game, Tim Tebow struggled for three and half quarters. However, Tebow
demonstrated his late game magic with two touchdown passes surrounding an onside
kick recovery. He than converted a two point conversion to tie the game and force
overtime. In overtime Tebow shined again as the Broncos won the game 18-15
on a 52 yard field goal from Matt Prater. Back in the Meadowlands against the
New York Giants on the weekend of a freak October snow storm the Dolphins again
held a fourth quarter lead. However, the Giants rallied with ten unanswered points
to win the game 20-17 as the Dolphins dropped to 0-7. A week later the Dolphins
losing streak would come to an end, as Matt Moore was on fire early with
three touchdown passes as the Dolphins clobbered the Kansas City Chiefs 31-3 on
the road. A week later, with Reggie Bush running in two touchdowns the Dolphins
would beat the Washington Redskins 20-9 to end their Sun Life Stadium losing
streak. After a solid 35-7 win over the Buffalo Bills at home, the Dolphins faced
the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving seeking a fourth straight win. It would be
another strong effort from the Dolphins, but this time they would fall short
as the Cowboys won 20-19 on Dan Bailey's 28 yard field goal as time expired. Led
by Reggie Bush and Matt Moore, the Dolphins solid play continued as they improved
to 4-8 with a 34-14 win over the Oakland Raiders. A week later the Dolphins
were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 26-10 loss to the Philadelphia
Eagles at home. Following the loss Coach Tony Sparano was fired, and
replaced by Todd Bowles for the remainder of the season. Under Bowles, the Dolphins
strong play would continue as they won two of their last three games, including
a 19-17 win to eliminate the Jets from the playoffs in the last game of
the season. The last game of the season was a send off to Jason Taylor who announced
his retirement prior to the game. For a moment it looked as if JT would
end his career with a TD of a fumble return, but the play was reversed as the runner
was ruled down by contact. The Dolphins would begin anew following the season,
as they sought a new franchise Quarterback and drafted Ryan Tannehill from
Texas A&M, they also brought in Tannehill's college coach Mike Sherman to be
the Offensive Coordinator. Sherman had previously worked with Brett Favre with
the Green Bay Packers, as did their new head Coach Joe Philbin.
2012: The Dolphins new start came with a spotlight as their training camp was featured
on HBO's "Hard Knocks" reality show. One player the Dolphins had planned to be
a veteran presence was Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson. However, Johnson's odd behavior
became an instant distraction as a profanity filled press conference embarrassed
the team, while barging in on coaches meeting angered the team. When Chad Johnson
was arrested for domestic violence it became too much for the Dolphins,
and the veteran receiver was quickly released. Ryan Tannehill would be given a
chance to learn under fire as he was one of five rookie quarterbacks starting in
Week 1. Facing the Houston Texans on the road the Dolphins would lead early,
however the Texans had too many weapons and would win the game 30-10. Tannehill
would look much better in his second start as the Dolphins hosted the Oakland
Raiders in their home opener. The Dolphins would break the game open on a pair
of Reggie Bush touchdowns in the 3rd Quarter, as Ryan Tannehill connected with
Tight End Anthony Fasano for his first career Touchdown in the 4th quarter as the
Dolphins earned a 35-13 win. Week 3 would see one of the sloppiest games of
the season as the Tannehill was inconsistent as the Dolphins lost to the New York
Jets in overtime 23-20. A week later Ryan Tannehill would pass for 431 yards
highlighted by an 80 yard Touchdown pass to Brian Hartline, but once again the
Dolphins would lose in overtime to the Arizona Cardinals 24-21. A week later the
Dolphins defense rose to the occasion forcing three turnovers as they earned
a 17-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. Returning home the Dolphins
would get back to .500, thanks to a 17-14 win over the St. Louis Rams at home,
with Ryan Tannehill tossing two Touchdown passes. After the bye week, the Dolphins
rolled into the Meadowlands ahead of Hurricane Sandy, and laid a 30-9 beat
down of the Jets. Earlier on it was clearly the Dolphins day as Olivier Vernon
recovered a blocked punt in the endzone for a TD. The win got the Dolphins to
4-3 and into the playoff race, but it would not last as they stumbled in November
dropping games to the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills.
The Dolphins would end their losing streak with a 24-21 win over the Seattle
Seahawks, as Dan Carpenter completed a 4th Quarter rally with a 43 yard Field
Yard Field Goal in the game's final seconds. However, after losses against the
New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers the Dolphins playoffs hopes faded
away. Looking to finish strong the Dolphins won their last two games at home against
the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. However, with a chance to finish
8-8, the Dolphins were shutout 28-0 in the season finale against the Patriots
in Foxboro. Finishing the season 7-9, the Dolphins had some hopeful signs for
the future as Ryan Tannehill had 3,294 yards with 12 touchdowns in his first
season in the NFL. Though not as good as other rookie making their debut during
the season, Tannehilll looked at times like the franchise QB the Dolphins have
waited for since Dan Marino retired. On defense Cameron Wake continued to develop
into one of the league's best [pass rushers with 15 sacks as Karlos Dansby
recorded 101 solo tackles.

2013: Ryan Tannehill entered his second season, the Dolphins looked to give him some better
targets as they signed Pro Bowl Receiver Mike Wallace five-year contract for
an estimated $60 million. The Dolphins also signed Tight End Dustin Keller,
but he would never play an official down in Miami suffering a devastating knee
injury during the pre-season. The Dolphins had a new look, as more realistic dolphin
replaced the helmet wearing dolphin, with a modification to the aqua and
orange colors. The Dolphins would begin the season with two straight road games.
In the opener, the could not have played any better beating the Cleveland Browns
23-10 as Tannehill passed for 272 yards with a touchdown. A week later, Wallace
would catch his first touchdown as the Dolphins and Colts lit up the field
in the first half with each team scoring 17 points. The defenses took over in
the second half as the Dolphins limited the Colts to a Field Goal, while Charles
Clay scored a one yard run late in the fourth quarter to win the game 24-20 as
Phillip Wheeler secured the win with a sack of Andrew Luck. In their home opener,
the Dolphins struggled allowing the Atlanta Falcons to build an early 10-0
lead. With the Falcons still leading 20-10 in the third quarter the Phins began
to get back in the game as Caleb Sturgis nailed a 50 yard Field Goal, while Brian
Hartline caught an 18 yard Touchdown pass to even the score. The Falcons would
regain the lead with a Field Goal in the fourth quarter. However, the Dolphins
would win the game in dramatic fashion Dion Sims caught the go ahead Touchdown
with 38 seconds left to give Miami a 27-23 win and their first 3-0 start in
over a decade. The Dolphins would face a major test in Week 4 as they played
a Monday Night Game on the road against the New Orleans Saints. The Dolphins would
not come out well losing 38-17. They would also lose the following week at
home to the Baltimore Ravens as their comeback effort was thwarted when Ryan Tannehill
took an ill-timed sack, forcing Caleb Sturgis to try a 57 yard field goal
which was missed as the Ravens won 26-23. The Dolphins would continue to struggle
after the bye week losing to the Buffalo Bills at Sunlife Stadium 23-21.
The Dolphins errors were often self-inflicted with three turnovers, including a
pick six on the game's first possession. The Dolphins would recover and take a
21-17 lead into the fourth quarter. However, Dan Carpenter came back to haunt
his former team with two Field Goals to win the game for the Bills 23-21. The Dolphins
would drop a fourth straight game on the road to the New England Patriots.
Early on the Dolphins were in control, leading 17-3 at halftime. However, Caleb
Sturgis missed a 46 yard Field Goal, opening the way for the Patriots onslaught
as they scored twice in under two minutes to even the score, as Tannehill
was sacked and a fumbled. The Patriots would win the game 27-17.
Bullying Scandal: The Dolphins offensive line was clearly the team's weak spot and they attempted to
make improvements acquiring Brandon McKinne from the Ravens. However, under the
surface there were deeper problems in the Dolphins locker surrounding the line.
Second year Tackle Jonathan Martin was being tormented by teammates, led by
Richie Incognito the defacto captain of the Dolphins line. Martin fed up by the
bullying suddenly left the team as they prepared to host the Cincinnati Bengals
on Halloween. The Dolphins despite the distractions and a short week, would
jump out in front early. However, the Bengals clawed their way back to tie the
game on a dazzling run by Giovanni Bernard. The Dolphins would go on to win the
game 22-20 as Cameron Wake sacked Andy Dalton in the endzone for a safety in overtime.
It was the first ever overtime game to end with a safety. After the game,
nobody was talking about the Dolphins win. Instead the focus came upon the
offensive line and the bullying of Jonathan Martin. The story would explode, leaping
beyond the sports pages and into the national discussion. The story would
lead on nightly cable news programs, as the Dolphins suspended Richie Icognito
for the rest of the season. Jonathan Martin had been the target of Incognito's
taunts from the start of his rookie season. Hazing included forcing Martin to
pay for the rest of the line to go to Las Vegas, they would routinely force Martin
to pick up the check. There were also numerous racially charged text messages
and terroristic threats. When Martin, initially brought the charges to Dolphins
Management, General Manager Jeff Ireland told him to just punch him in the
face. An investigation would reveal that Jonathan Martin was routinely bullied
by his line mates including John Jerry and Mike Pouncey along with Incognito and
that offensive line coach Jim Turner had encouraged the hazing to "toughen Martin
Up," as they held unit meetings at strip club. After his suspension Richie
Incognito tried to clear his name, as he said he treated Jonathan Martin as a
brother, but the proof was there and the story cast a dark cloud on the Dolphins
for the remainder of the season.
2013: With the bullygate scandal erupting it was no surprise that the Dolphins would suffer
a humiliating Monday Night 22-19 loss against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, they would rebound to beat the San Diego Chargers 20-16 in their
next home game. Following a 20-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers the Dolphins began
September with dominate defensive effort in the Meadowlands as they beat the
New York Jets 20-3, holding them to 177 total yards, while forcing three turnovers.
A week later they would get back in the playoff picture with a crazy 34-28
win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the snow at Heinz Field. After leading 17-7,
early in the third quarter the Dolphins fell behind 21-17 as the Steelers
scored twice in 53 seconds, with Troy Polamalu returning a off target pass from
Ryan Tannehill for a 19 yard interception return. From there the Dolphins and
Steelers traded scores until Charles Clay scored on a 12 yard pass play to give
Miami a 31-28 lead with 2:53 left. The Dolphins would add a Caleb Sturgis Field
Goal as they just needed one more stop to win the game. That was easier said
than done as Steelers in desperation lateral mode nearly pulled off the most insane
play in NFL history. However, Antonio Brown slipped his toe out of bounds
as the Dolphins help on to win 34-28 after seeing their lives and sanity passed
before their eyes. Returning home, the Dolphins would continue their second half
resurgence, beating the Patriots 24-20. This time it was the Dolphins with the
comeback, as they trailed early 10-0 and won the game on a 14 yard pass from
Ryan Tannehill to Marcus Thigpen. There were still a few white knuckle moments
as Tom Brady drove the ball down to the Dolphins goalline, before being picked
off by Michael Thomas in the endzone to end the game. At 8-6 the Dolphins just
needed to win one of their two remaining games to get the sixth spot in the playoffs.
However, the Dolphins offensive line woes remerged as their offense could
do little in a 19-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The season finale at home would
be more of the same as the Dolphins were grounded by the Jets 20-7, finishing
the season with a record of 8-8. Ryan Tannehill was sacked a NFL high 58 times,
once again eliminating the offensive line woes. Following the season as part
of the bullygate fallout, Offensive Line Coach Jim Turner and GM Jeff Ireland
would be dismissed. 2014: Following their late season collapse that led to another disappointing 8-8 season,
the Miami Dolphins looked for less drama as they began the season at home against
the hated New England Patriots. After trailing 20-10 at the half, the Dolphins
defense completely shut down Tom Brady and the Patriots the rest of the way
scoring 23 unanswered points to win the game 33-20. Ryan Tannehill had a big
day to start the season with two touchdowns as the Tom Brady was sacked four times.
The Dolphins would not be able to build off their win over the Patriots as
they suffered a 29-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Returning home the Dolphins defense
looked to wilt in the South Florida heat, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs
35-14 allowing 174 yards on the ground. Flying to London for the second time
in team history, the Dolphins got back on track with an easy 38-14 win over the
Oakland Raiders. The game's aftermath had some irony, as the Raiders fired Coach
Dennis Allen, replacing him with former Dolphins head man Tony Sparano for
the remainder of the season. Following a bye week the Dolphins hosted the Green
Bay Packers in a back and forth battle at Sun Life Stadium. After taking the lead
in the fourth quarter with two early scores the Dolphins would suffer a gut
wrenching 27-24 loss, as Aaron Rodgers hit Andrew Quarless in the end zone with
three seconds left in the game. The Dolphins would rebound to win their next
two games on the road against the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. Returning
home the Dolphins played their most complete game of the season to blank the
San Diego Chargers to improve to 5-3 at the season's midway point. However,
as they started to roll the Dolphins suffered another heart wrenching last minute
loss in Week 10 at Ford Field. With Miami leading 16-13 the Detroit Lions drove
74 yards, as Matthew Stafford found Theo Riddick in the end zone for an 11
yard catch with 29 seconds left to win the game 20-16. Playing just four days later
the Dolphins did not have time to think about the loss, as they beat the Buffalo
Bills 22-9 in a Thursday Night showdown. A week later the Dolphins would
be put to the test as they face the Denver Broncos on the road. For most of the
game Miami was in control, leading 28-17 at the start of the fourth quarter.
However, in the Mile High altitude the Dolphins seemed to wear down as the game
went along sustaining several injures as the Broncos rallied to win the game 39-36.
Playing on Monday Night in the Meadowlands the following week, the Dolphins
defense was trampled in the first half by the New York Jets. Despite allowing
nearly 200 yards if the first half on the ground and 277 yards for the entire
game, the Dolphins were able to stay in the game and took over in the fourth quarter,
with ten unanswered points as Caleb Sturgis hit 26 yard Field Goal with
just under two minutes left to give the Dolphins a 16-13 win. Returning home the
Dolphins continued to follow up big wins, with disappointing losses suffering
a back breaking 28-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. That loss would all but end
the Dolphins playoff hopes as they suffered a 41-13 loss to the Patriots in
Foxboro to fall to 7-7. In the craziest game of the year the Dolphins would beat
the Minnesota Vikings 37-35. After falling behind early 14-0 the Dolphins and
Vikings traded scores all game, with the Dolphins tying the game with 1:16 left
as Damien Williams caught a three yard pass from Ryan Tannehill. The Dolphins
defense would force a three and out and then blocked a punt out the back of the
end zone for a safety to win the game with 45 seconds left. The win was not enough
as the Dolphins were still eliminated from the postseason. The Dolphins season
would end once again with a 37-24 home loss to the Jets. Once again they
finished with a record of 8-8. The game would have some controversy as Mike Wallace
asked to rest in the second half. This would lead to his departure from Miami
ending a disappointing tenure, in which he never hustled, never seemed to care
and affirmed himself to be one of the NFL's worst ever free agent signings.
2015: Looking to strengthen their defensive line the Miami Dolphins signed All-Pro Ndamukong
Suh to a six year deal worth $114 million. That defense was needed in Week
1 as the Dolphins fell behind early 10-0 against the Washington Redskins at FedEx
Field. The Dolphins would rally and win the game 17-10 on Jarvis Landry's
69-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter. A week later they Dolphins would
not be as fortunate as they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-20, once again
falling behind early and rallying to tie the game, but a penalty filled final
drive allowed the Jaguars to win the game on a 28-yard Field Goal by Jason Myers.
A week later in their home opener the Dolphins never bothered to show, suffering
a 41-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills. It was more of the same in London, as
the Dolphins played a listless game against the New York Jets, losing 27-14. When
the Dolphins returned home, Coach Joe Philbin was fired. With Tight Ends Coach
Dan Campbell promising more discipline as interim coach the Dolphins were much
sharper after the bye week, beating the Tennessee Titans 38-10 in Nashville
as they finally got their run game on track with Lamar Miller, rushing for 113
yards with a touchdown. Returning home, the Phins continued their resurgence under
Dan Campbell, crushing the Houston Texans 44-26 as Ryan Tannehill passed for
282 yards with four scores as they jumped out to a 41-0 halftime lead and never
looked back. However, Miami's winning streak ended in Foxboro, as they suffered
a 36-7 loss to the New England Patriots, making matters worse Cameron Wake
suffered a season ending Achille's injury. The Dolphins would also lose their next
game to the Bills 26-14 and appeared to be heading for a third straight loss
on the road as the Philadelphia Eagles raced out to a 16-3 lead in the first
quarter. The Dolphins would rally after Eagles QB Sam Bradford was knocked from
the game, winning 20-19 as Tannehill had a pair of touchdown passes, while Reshad
Jones' interception in the endzone was key to securing the win. Back in Miami
for Week 11, the Dolphins would suffer another letdown, losing to the Dallas
Cowboys 24-14 as Tony Romo played for the first time since Week 2, and had two
touchdowns to end the Cowboys seven game losing streak. Against the Jets at the
Meadowlands the Dolphins saw their playoffs hopes all but wiped out as they suffered
an embarrassing 38-20 loss as Ryan Fitzpatrick tore the Dolphins secondary
apart with 277 yards with four touchdowns. The Dolphins would beat the Baltimore
Ravens 15-13 at Sun Life Stadium in Week 13, but dropped their next three
games reach ten losses. With no chance to be named permeant coach Dan Campbell
in his final game with the Dolphins went out a winner as the Dolphins stunned
the Patriots 20-10 to finish the season with a record of 6-10. The season ending
win against the rival Patriots was extra satisfying for long suffering
Dolphins fans as it coast New England home field in the playoffs, which would end
up costing them a trip to the Super Bowl.